A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 10 eBook

own head, with the consent and approbation of all
his nobles there present, and placing it on the head
of the admiral, invested him with all the other ensigns
of royalty, constituting the admiral, as far as in
him lay, king of the whole country. The admiral,
as her majesty’s representative, accepted of
this new-offered dignity in her name and behalf; as
from this donation, whether made in jest or earnest,
it was probable that some real advantage might redound
hereafter to the English nation in these parts.
After this ceremony, the common people dispersed themselves
about the English encampment, expressing their admiration
and respect for the English in a most violent and
even profane manner, even offering sacrifices to them,
as in the most profound devotion, till they were repressed
by force, with strong expressions of abhorrence, and
directed to pay their adorations to the supreme Creator
and Preserver of all things, whom only they ought
to honour with religious worship.[32]

[Footnote 32: The whole of this story, of a king
and his nobles, and the investiture of Drake in the
sovereignty of California, which he named New Albion,
is so completely absurd as not to merit serious observation.—­E.]

After this ceremony, the admiral and some of his people
penetrated to some distance into the interior country,
which they found to be extremely full of large fat
deer, often seeing about a thousand in one herd.
There were also such immense numbers of rabbits, that
the whole country seemed one vast warren. These
rabbits were of the size of those of Barbary, having
heads like our own rabbits in England, with feet like
those of a mole, and long tails like rats. Under
the chin on each side, they have a bag or pouch in
the skin, into which they store up any food they get
abroad, which they there preserve for future use.
Their flesh is much valued by the natives, and their
skins are made into robes for the king and nobles.
This country seemed to promise rich veins of gold
and silver; as wherever they had occasion to dig, they
threw up some of the ores of these metals.[33] Partly
in honour of England, and partly owing to the prospect
of white cliffs which this country presented from
the sea, the admiral named this region New Albion.
Before his departure, he erected a monument, on which
was a large plate, engraven with the name, picture,
and arms of queen Elizabeth, the title of her majesty
to the sovereignty of the country, the time of its
discovery, and Drake’s own name. In this
country the Spaniards had never had the smallest footing,
neither had they discovered this coast of America,
even for several degrees to the southwards of New
Albion.

[Footnote 33: This surely is a gross falsehood,
as even the Spaniards, so much experienced in mines
of the precious metals, have found none in California,
though possessing missions among its rude and scanty
population in every corner, even in this very spot.—­E.]